Need a last-minute gift idea? We've got you covered

Updated 10:00 pm, Thursday, December 22, 2005

The final days for holiday shopping need not induce angst, at least when it comes to finding great gifts for book lovers.

A recent tour through 10 area independent bookstores, as well as the FriendShop at Seattle's new Central Library, found a host of suitable gifts beyond books for those enamored of the printed word. Some stores do offer the same items, but the real surprise of this present quest was how many bookish gifts were found in just one place or two.

What follows are some appealing gifts for book lovers and where they were discovered:

Bike messengers have affected fashion with their athletic urban hipster insouciance. One of the more useful items from messenger gear is the bag used to tote their stuff. The messenger bag takes a stylish turn with this black nylon version that features an electric blue stitched design of the library's Rem Koolhaas window design, along with the words: "The Seattle Public Library." Straps, pockets and closures make this bag perfect for toting books, reports or a laptop.

Found at: FriendShop in the Central Library

2. Watermark handmade books

($20 and up)

These artful blank books and albums with handsome handmade covers and thick papers are one of the best exports from Port Townsend. No place stocks more than The Elliott Bay Book Co., where a massive display of Watermark products has long held a treasured spot right by the store's front door. Among items displayed are: an address book ($25), a photo album ($47), a ship's log ($40) and a writing journal with lined paper ($20).

Go from ho-hum to whoa, Nelly! with this fun and stylish line of reading glasses that can be found in several area bookstores. Why shouldn't this necessity of middle-age life come with frames of plaids, or zebra stripes or fire engine red? Architects and fashionistas no longer have the corner on stylish specs.

Broadsides contain an excerpt of an author's work printed on fine paper, usually done with an old-fashioned letterpress, plus an evocative image. Broadsides are limited edition works of literary and visual art and often include the author's signature as well. Wessel & Lieberman, a fine antiquarian bookseller in Pioneer Square, has hundreds of broadsides, many of them autographed by such authors as Barry Lopez, Raymond Carver and Tim O'Brien. One of the store's most appealing broadsides is a framed excerpt from "Angela's Ashes" signed by Frank McCourt ($175).

6. Stonehenge Designs greeting cards

($2.50)

These colorful greeting cards are created by Jacqueline Jones, who turned to photography after leaving the TV news biz in Portland. The cards merge evocative scenes from around the globe with inspirational quotes that are displayed on a perforated section of the card to detach for use as a bookmark. Some quotes come from literary figures, including Keats, Joan Didion, Langston Hughes and Dr. Seuss.

These fine wood writing instruments, distinctive in design and with genuine craftsmanship, are the product of Matt Freeborn, "a Seattle area father and his 13-year-old son." They come in such classic woods as mahogany, cherry, walnut, oak and exotics, too. Add some flair to handwritten missives.

Found at: Third Place Books

8. A bookstore book bag ($14.09, $19.95)

The undisputed local king of canvas bookstore book bags has long been Elliott Bay's blue bag emblazoned with the store's tall ship logo ($14.09). But now there comes a worthy new challenger to the book bag crown from Queen Anne Books. The store's entwined "QA" logo is printed on a white canvas bag with blue straps and bottom, a la L.L. Bean boat bags. This bag costs $5 more than Elliott Bay's, but deserves its fans too.

It's farewell to the olden days of a kid having to huddle under bedcovers with a flashlight in order to read a favorite book after bedtime. Now fervent young readers can illuminate those pages with a clever little lamp worn with a stretch headband; comes with two batteries.

Found at: Square 1 Books

10. Rel-e-Vant Products Book

Lover Sleeper Shirt ($25)

This muslin-colored all-cotton nightshirt comes covered with snazzy book graphics and clever book quotes, including the immortal ("it was a dark and stormy night") and the sage ("never go to bed alone"). One size fits all; nighttime reading material not included.